1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an anti-obesity agent, food and pharmaceutical product containing a component suppressing adipogenesis, which is used as a raw material for pharmaceutical products, and pharmaceutical compositions as well as an additive for health foods and health beverages.
2. Description of the Related Art
D-cysteinolic acid (C3H9NO4S: molecular weight: 155) was first isolated from red algae and identified by B. Wickberg in 1957 (Acta Chem Scand 11, 506 (1957)). In 1963, Itoh (University of Hiroshima) found that D-cysteinolic acid is also present in green algae and brown algae of seaweed (Bull. Jpn. Scient. Fish., 29, 771 (1963)). Recently, it was found that sardine contain D-cysteinolic acid. Since D-cysteinolic acid has an anti-clotting effect, its use as a raw material for pharmaceutical products has been expected. Indeed, an invention directed to thrombosis treatment and a preventive drug for thrombosis using D-cysteinolic acid from sardine has already been filed under Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 61-47880. Also, an invention directed to a cholesterol-reducing drug using D-cysteinolic acid or a cysteinolic acid/bile acid conjugate has been filed under Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 3-49113.
Under these circumstances, the present inventors found that sea lettuce (ulva,) produced by culturing can be effectively used to commercially produce D-cysteinolic acid. Such a method and device have already been filed as an invention under Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-222470. Furthermore, the invention directed to the effect of D-cysteinolic acid for preventing adipogenesis of neutral fat and lipoperoxide has been filed under Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-202404.
That is all we know about D-cysteinolic acid. So far, most of the physiological activities of D-cysteinolic acid itself remain unknown. Since an effective physiological activity has not yet been found, the use of D-cysteinolic acid has been limited within a narrow range. Accordingly, the commercial development of D-cysteinolic acid has been delayed.
On the other hand, lately, the diet of Japanese people has been gradually westernized (toward a high fat diet). As a result, the accumulation of fat on not only blood vessels but also internal organs such as the intestines and the intestinal tract has been increasingly observed in many people. Such accumulation of fat causes adult diseases such as obesity, leading to serious problems. Therefore, the development of a safe compound having an anti-obesity effect has been strongly desired.